


Another Way

by Astravtei (Zografia)



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: (I noticed that I subconsciously made a quite some references to the Death Note musical), (When I reread it to check for mistakes), (by certain word choices and phrasing lmaoo), M/M, Other, Shinigami/Human (one-sided), This is based on a tumblr prompt, basically it's Ryuk being in love with Light unconsciously, past LawLight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 08:03:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21012479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zografia/pseuds/Astravtei
Summary: Ryuk had laughed at Rem's love for Misa because the thoughts of being in love with someone, moreover a human, sounded just too ridiculous and foolish.It wasn't until his very own death that he truly accepted and realised that he was a fool himself.





	Another Way

**Author's Note:**

> My first written work for Death Note after being in this fandom for years! Tbh, I expected myself to write LawLight first, but this is just as great because I just love the idea! (You probably read though that I included LawLight into this regardless lmao)
> 
> This prompt was created and posted by @main-exam on Tumblr!
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes, I'm not a native English speaker lol
> 
> Enjoy!

'_Don't break the rule_'

Ryuk pitied Rem for the love she had felt. The love for a human that got her killed. He had observed her and everything she went through. Ryuk had laughed at her strangely loving nature towards Misa, even though those feelings were forbidden for their kind. Ryuk could never see himself be like her in that regard. The mere thought of falling in love made him laugh loudly until he was out of breath, metaphorically.

It was ridiculous; so ridiculous, in Ryuk's opinion. Yet he still wondered despite all the talk, what it would be like and feel like to, secretly, love another. A _human _at that.

He grinned amused again. Even if he was curious, this line would never be crossed by him. No matter how charming, intriguing, and beautiful this Light Yagami was.

'_Love… Humans… Pathetic_'

Ryuk saw nothing in humans, only toys he could play with, tools that granted him life with their deaths, actors in a stage play he had created by dropping his note book into their world to escape his boredom. He felt nothing for those creatures at first.

Light, however, was the first to spark his interest and gave the Shinigami the time of his long lasting life. Ryuk had stayed neutral for the sake of not ending the fun he had seeked, oh so desperately, early.

He was glad he did, or else, Ryuk was sure, Light's little game would have ended much sooner, and time would have stopped once again for the Shinigami.

Ryuk did kind of root for Light, just not out loud. That kid was a genius through and through. His plans had always worked out perfectly, and Ryuk was proud that he was the one who picked up the Death Note. One foe after another had fallen to his superiority and intelligence.

Even L, the greatest detective of the human world, had fallen into Light's trap. Ryuk remembered all too well their little game. He loved to watch it and throughly enjoyed their little battle of wits.

Even later, when that war between them had changed into one of who could dominate in the bedroom, Ryuk still wasn't that… uninterested… in watching Light charm the otherwise calm and collected detective, until even he had succumbed to him.

He always left them to their privacy though. Not that it mattered whether he stayed or not. Gods of Death weren't allowed to engage in any type of sexual encounters; not with their own kind, and especially not with humans.

Still, he couldn't help but think of Light and his predatory gaze. He had chuckled at it, how 'dangerous' it made the young man look. It was amusing to watch Light think that he was at the top of the world, above humans as their new God.

When the memories of the Death Note had vanished, Ryuk had still found himself following Light at times.

What else could he do while the Death Note was buried underground?

Light's nature had changed, Ryuk observed, as well as his behaviour towards his nemesis. It was almost disgusting how sweet it seemed compared to before.

Sure, he watched them fight, and he would always laugh the loudest when Light denied being Kira, but it was very different from prior to his memory loss.

It was… real and not pretended.

He had followed, silently, and watched, silently, to see where things were going, and it was strange to him. Because what he saw was love playing out between two individuals. Kind of like that love Misa showed towards Light that went unrequited by him.

Though, as interesting as it had been to watch, Ryuk would start to build more and more distance between the times he would 'visit' Light almost subconsciously, until he stopped checking up on him altogether.

It wasn't until Higuchi was caught, and Misa retaining the Death Note, as well as her memories, that Ryuk went back to see Light. As he greeted the Shinigami after months of separation – on Light's side at least – Ryuk couldn't hold back the toothy grin with his long fangs.

When L had finally died, held in the arms of the man he thought of as his lover, but also as Kira, and Rem dying along side him, after falling into Light's trap herself, Ryuk was reminded of the true power behind love. How it ultimately ended up causing death – mostly in case of the Shinigamis – and desperation.

Even Light himself had went through that state of sorrow, as good as he could hide it.

Feeling as if he had been pulled out of some weird dream, Ryuk forgot everything he had seen play out and instead focused on what would come now that Kira was completely unchallenged.

Or, well, the few years he was unchallenged. It all had worked out fine, until L's successors had come along and ruined that perfect streak of his.

Ryuk had hoped for Light to get out of there. He truly did. He wanted to see Kira rebuild himself and beat Near, too, but Light had been still only a human after all. Not the God he had envisioned himself to be, and longed to become.

Ryuk had figured out that when Light even started begging for help, the game was truly over. As much as Ryuk would have loved to see what else would come, he knew that prison would not have done Light any good. Neither was it fun to watch the young man being imprisoned once again. Only this time it probably would have been for eternity or at least until his execution.

A quick death seemed appropriate to Ryuk. Not to forget that he had promised Light to be the one who would write his name in his Death Note, if his time had come.

Light's time had come on that very day, the 28th of January, Ryuk decided and wrote his name at last into his Death Note.

'_It had been fun while it lasted, wouldn't you agree, Light?_'

Ryuk pretty much _felt_ the moment Light passed away, how the remaining lifespan of Light had been added to his own. It was more intense than ever, he had never felt that way before.

He grinned sharply.

Slowly, Ryuk spread his dark wings and flew back into the sky, casting one last glance down at the human world, the world that had been his home for those past years. It would be his last.

***

"Oh, he left", Ryuk observed as that nameless Shinigami disappeared to descend into the human world.

Ryuk looked down onto his Death Note and took for the first time in centuries a good look inside it.

A look on the last page he had written anything in.

He wasn't sure what caused him to want to look at his name.

Maybe because he knew that this name was the very reason why he never attempted to go to the human world again. Moreover the reason why he stopped writing names in his Death Note.

Maybe because he knew it would be his last.

The page was worn out. Yellowish brown, a show of carelessness concerning his note book of death, and definitely a proof of how much time had past.

He looked up into what could be called sky in the Shinigami world. Ryuk chuckled, as nostalgic memories from days long past crossed his mind.

"Rem… You're still a fool for having wanted to willingly die for a human," he sighed, "But… I understand it. Now at least." he laughed loud again.

"Perhaps it is not only the Shinigami making the life of humans they possess hell. Perhaps it works the other way around, too."

He felt the last seconds of his life ticking away.

Ryuk was not afraid. He had never been afraid in his entire life. A God of Death should not feel scared, especially not about dying. Besides, Ryuk had always wondered what awaits a Shinigami if they'd die.

Well, he would find out in just mere seconds.

"Look at me, kid, even in death you managed to kill another Shinigami."

Instead of feeling pain, Ryuk was beyond amused and continued to chuckle. Until this very moment, Ryuk denied any feelings of affections for Light Yagami he might have had or still possess, and even now he could not explain why he let a human get to him like that, that he would feel perfectly fine with the concept of dying.

But it did not matter, this was his end. Ryuk felt his notebook slip from his grasp, the page with Light's name still visible for him, almost taunting him, as he slowly felt his body fall apart into sand and dust. His red eyes locked onto it for a last time before everything became black.

**Author's Note:**

> I just love tragic love stories (if that can be counted as love story?) This prompt was fun to write haha.
> 
> Anyway!  
Thanks for reading this short story & see you hopefully next time! :)


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